Friday, July 31, 2015

The boy's room in the Westville is going to be cowboy themed like many young boys enjoyed in the 1950s. Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger, and cowboy movies made cowboys very popular. I used the above picture for my inspiration for a chenille bedspread.

This bed was my inspiration for the modifications I made to a traditional spindle headboard.

The headboard on the mini bed used to look like the back of the toy chest/bench with turned spindles. I cut the spindles out and cut down a wooden wheel I had on hand. The headboard isn't an exact match but I am very pleased. The bedspread was a bit more challenging. I used embroidery floss and cord to do all the curly lines and the horse shoe. I printed out copies of the spread in the correct scale and cut out the more complicated elements like the cowboy on his horse and the boots. Then I used floss to go around the perimeter of the horse and to add dimension to a few parts of the rest. That was enough to make it look as though the whole thing was chenille. My base fabric is a very fine waffle weave left from a long sleeved T one of my daughters was throwing out several years ago. I don't have much left but it is cotton knit and drapes so nicely. I'm hoarding what I have left for projects like this one. ;-)

I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make my idea become reality. I'm so excited with how it turned out!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

The thing about doing a doll house project in a time period that is not a common one for miniaturists is that it's harder to find wallpaper. I have made wallpaper for previous projects and it's something I really enjoy doing. Yesterday I spent several hours working on a kitchen design. After thinking about it all night I made some changes. I love the result.

It's fun to play with colors. Pink and turquoise are not colors I would use in my kitchen but they were typical for the fifties. Several years ago I made a mini version of the farmhouse where I grew up. You don't find much wallpaper for the 70s, either. The kitchen paper I designed for that house was all in golds, oranges, and avocado greens. If you haven't ever designed your own wallpaper, it's very simple with a card making program. I use PrintShop which has a large source of graphics on the software and available for free online. That's where I got the graphics for this paper.

Tomorrow is my last day in the boot. Woo hoo! I know I'm still going to be sore but I am looking forward to sleeping without multiple layers and hardware on my leg.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

First, the wonderful husband part - after 4.5 weeks of resting with my foot elevated I was getting a bit restless. My husband decided to rent a wheelchair that would allow me to elevate my foot. We went to the farmers market, had breakfast out, and then he spent a couple of hours wheeling me around Hobby Lobby so I could start thinking about decorating the Westville. It was heavenly. Also, I saw things from an entirely different perspective, literally. Wheeling around at a child's level made different things jump out at me. It was fun and eye opening. :-)

Now for the getting started part - I found a large book of scrapbook paper (1/2 off!) in the colors I am planning to use in the Westville. With a 1950s timeline I wanted teals, pinks, greens, etc. Last evening and today I spent some time with markers adding color accents to some of the papers to give me the 50s feeling I'm going for. This is a sample block of different colors of the linoleum floor tile I want to replicate.

I started with this green and cream checkerboard scrapbook paper and added colors to the "tiles" to get the effect I want.

Then I folded along all of the squares to make them look like individual tiles. Once I get page sealed and in place, I think I am going to be happy with the results.

This paper will be the living room wallpaper. It was all just turquoise on white. I added pink, olive green, and a bit of blue gray. This also needs sealed but will look good with the tweedy gray sofa and gray print drapes. I haven't decided whether to make the chair matching or contrasting.

I feel like I'm making progress on the design part of the house now. I'm starting to see it come together in my mind. Fingers crossed that my thoughts translate well to reality. ;-)

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

This isn't a new project but I fixed a couple of things that I didn't like and added a few new details. This is an inexpensive quarter scale Victorian house. I used brick paper for the exterior.

Inside I used wallpapers I found online - I'm sorry but it's been so long that I don't remember the source. The furniture is a combination of the small plastic pieces, pieces I made, and a few that my friend Brenda made. The hutch in the kitchen and the braided rag rug are her creations. She filled the hutch, too. And did an amazing job, I might add.

The nursery beds and crib were made with scraps of wood and fabric. The twin beds were way too long originally so today I shortened them. The proportions are much better now. The quilts at the foot of these beds, hanging over the crib edge, and in the master bedroom are also printies from the web. The rug is a ribbon scrap. The baby in the crib was in a round robin box I used do with friends. She was not dressed. Today I made her a tiny gown from a scrap of vintage handkerchief.

In the master bedroom I added the mirror over the chest of drawers and the vase of flowers on top of the chest. I didn't make many changes to the plastic furniture in here. I cut down the bases for the lamp and the bowl, gave the bed a new spread, and added a cushion to the chair seat.

I think I made a couple of minor changes to one or two of the bathroom pieces.The towel and rug are fabric scraps.

Here's a closer view of Brenda's hutch and rug. I love both pieces. I added paint to some of the plastic pieces when I built the house. Today I made the stockpot simmering away on the stove.

The plastic furniture is mostly as it came from the package in the parlor. I added paper work to the desk.The tablecloth is a small fabric applique. Two tiny stacked beads make the centerpiece vase. The fireplace is a mini Christmas ornament.The artwork is made with a fingernail sticker.The rug is a bit of ribbon.The center table holds a potted plant on a doily made from a lace cutout.

I'm not sure if I'll ever do another quarter scale project. It's certainly not my favorite scale. I much prefer the detail you can get with 1:12 or 1:24. It was a fun experiment, though, and the scale certainly doesn't take up much space. I may not have a choice soon if I want to keep making mini houses, lol.

Recovery from foot surgery is going well. I have to spend most of the time with my foot elevated and I can't drive yet so it's been lonely. Most of my mini projects require me to sit at a table with my feet on the floor. I haven't got to that point yet. My best friend has kept me well stocked with library books and my daughter shared her Netflix account so I haven't been too bored. It was very nice to play with minis for a little while today.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Hi all! I am still among the land of the living. I am recovering from foot surgery. All went well but I have to spend most of my time with my foot elevated above my heart. That's not a good position for making minis so I have nothing new to show. I have decided, however, on the 1950s as the time frame for the Westville house my friend gave me for Christmas. I'm excited to start on it. The family will be mother, father, and son. I'm planning to make the boy's room cowboy themed. I already have the boy doll. Those who've followed by blog for awhile may remember the boy with a coonskin cap that I found while hubby and I were in Frankenmuth, MI a few years ago. He's a resin figure like the Houseworks dolls who's been living in the boarding house until I get him his permanent home. HBS has Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood dolls that I think will be perfect for little Davey's parents. I've been doing some research to get ideas for the rest of the rooms. I also have to decide how much I will make and what I want to purchase. Hopefully, in the next month or two, I will actually have photos of something to share. Thanks so much for your patience if you are still following!

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About Me

I've been happily married for 33 years to my high school sweetheart and we have three great kids. All are young adults. I'm currently working part time as an instructional assistant at the local elementary school. My mini life is especially important to me because it takes me away (better than a bubble bath!) from the stresses of real life. I've been involved with mini-ing since the late 1980s with a break for about 10 years while my children were young.
My faith and my family are very important to me. I am so thankful that God blessed me with the gift of creativity!